Black Flag to War Horn: Same shop, new name, new town

PALMER— There’s a new tattoo shop in downtown Palmer and while the name is temporary, owner Clayton Howell said the shop is going to be here for a while. Black Flag Studios was the first new shop under new management for a portion of the Arctic Avenue building that once housed the In and Out deli and store.

“I like the small town vibe here,” Howell said.

One of three new businesses on the side of the old convenience store, neighboring Pizza Delphi, Howell he and his colleague, Danny Slaton will provide the best work they can in working to build trust and longevity in their newfound home under the new name: “War Horn.”

“I’m here to focus on the art, not the business,” Howell said.

Howell used to commute to Anchorage from Eagle River while running his old shop in downtown Anchorage for almost two years. He came to Alaska with his family after finding steady tattoo work. He ran two other shops in the Lower 48, and worked all over the world. He said he was here for the sake of his craft and the sake of their clients, both carry-overs from his previous years and new customers.

He noticed that there weren’t any tattoo shops in the downtown district of Palmer and hopes to find comfortable niche in the Valley. He said that he doesn’t want to compete with other shops and is here with Slaton to do the best work they can and grow into their new community.

Slaton has been tattooing for 10 years. His first client and first fan was his father, who encouraged him early on and insisted on practicing on him. Now, he’s revamping that first tattoo, from a bird to a bear.

Slaton’s favorite thing about his new work environment?

“I love being able to finish my day and go hunting,” he said.

Howell started tattooing just before he turned 25. He had tattoos at an early age and always enjoyed them. He said that he’s always enjoyed art, sketching as early as he can remember. Prior to tattooing, he primarily focused in charcoal and ink.

“I think that I’ve grown a lot as an artist through tattooing,” Howell said.

Early on, as Howell was first making a name for himself and getting experience, he was immediately drawn by well-exacted portrait work. It looked difficult and that fueled his artistic fire.

“I said to myself, that looks hard. You only get one chance. It’s challenging. It takes a long time so I really liked that,” Howell said.

When it comes to finding the best tattoo, Howell said it all depending ion what you want then who specializes in that locally. To him, tattoos are more than just stories, they are a fusion of trust in his work and significance ascribed from each person. He said sees himself as the scribe in that scenario, a method to their meaning.

“I think that tattoos tell stories, they tell emotion, they can present certain markers in a person’s life- and, they can just be a good old fashioned, good old tattoo,” he said. “The clients tell the story. We’re just lucky enough to narrate it.”

Howell has done tattoos across the globe, inking in places like Australia, South America, South Africa and Japan. He said it was hard to pick favorites. Alaska is his all-time favorite though, he said. Howell said that he “literally fell in love” with Alaska after going on hunting trip with his grandfather.

“This is my favorite place, that’s why I moved here. I’ve wanted to live here since I was 12 years old,” he said.

He came to Alaska right out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He worked for Revolt Tattoos, inking people from all around the word. That same shop was featured in season three of the cable television series “Ink Master.” He said that he enjoyed the vast culture, people broadcasting his work all over, he missed the more intimate, customer fit relationships he finally came to Palmer for.

“I missed going to have a drink and seeing my tattoos,” he said.

Howell’s most recent and sentimental tattoo of the Nordic Valknut 3-set of triangles is closely related to his core beliefs.

“This is home. We just signed a long term lease so we aren’t going anywhere,” Howell said.